I'm pleased to present thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. I've delivered talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. Examples of upcoming and past events follow.

Scheduled to present “Agile Scrum: An Overview (Originally) for The Board of Directors of an Entertainment Company” at a public event of the Project Management Institute California Inland Empire Chapter (PMICIE) on August 14, 2018.

Delivered a talk—“Agile Scrum: An Overview (Originally) for The Board of Directors of an Entertainment Company”—at a public event of the Project Management Institute California Central Coast Chapter (PMI-4C) on June 28, 2018.

Spoke on agile project management at a public event of the Project Management Institute Los Angeles Chapter (PMI-LA) on July 25, 2017.

Delivered a talkon innovation and project management at a private event in London, England on February 9, 2017.

I'm now on SpeakerHub. My profile includes information on availability, fees, pro bono work, and more.

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You're invited to connect with Scott M. Graffius on social. Like his page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Scott presents thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. He delivers talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. For information on availability, fees, pro bono work and more, visit SpeakerHub.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions (Scott M. Graffius, author; Chris Hare and Colin Giffen, technical editors) helps teams deliver products and services in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement—which supports innovation and drives competitive advantage. Reactions to the book have been incredibly positive. It has won 17 first place awards.

I've been proud to have Amazon as the exclusive channel for Agile Scrum. Last month I received an email from a bookstore who wanted to carry the publication and asked about ordering it for resale. And on Monday of this week, a different bookstore called and had the same question. However, under the exclusive arrangement, distribution was limited to Amazon, and the bookstores were not able to get Agile Scrum for resale. To make the book available to those sellers—and others—I transitioned it to Expanded Distribution.

Both the print and ebook formats of Agile Scrum will still be available at Amazon, just not exclusively. Expanded Distribution provides access to a larger audience through more online retailers, bookstores, libraries, academic institutions, and distributors. With the change, Agile Scrum is now available for order through the following channels (in addition to Amazon):

Bookstores and Online Retailers - available to online and offline retailers such as Barnes & Noble and to distributors such as Ingram and the National Association of College Stores, Inc. (NACSCORP).

CreateSpace Direct - available to certified resellers through the CreateSpace Direct wholesale website.

The move to Expanded Distribution was initiated on July 5. It can take up to six weeks for changes to take effect across the different channels and appear in related product information and reporting. Accordingly, Expanded Distribution should be in place by August 16.

Agile Scrum will still be offered in print and digital formats at Amazon. The paperback is available in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The ebook is for sale in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

You're invited to connect with Scott M. Graffius on social. Like his page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Scott presents thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. He delivers talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. For information on availability, fees, pro bono work and more, visit SpeakerHub.

Scott M. Graffius of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ had consulting engagements with a division of a global entertainment business. A fantastic agile transformation experience and result with that client was the inspiration for Scott's book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions. This is an update on the book.

Online bonus material—containing an ever-growing list of supplemental content that comes free with the purchase of Agile Scrum—was updated today. Contents include satisfaction survey examples, quizzes, tools, select resources, and more. Instructions on how to access the online bonus material are provided inside the publication (both the ebook and the paperback format of the book).

You're invited to connect with Scott M. Graffius on social. Like his page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Scott presents thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. He delivers talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. For information on availability, fees, pro bono work and more, visit SpeakerHub.

Thank you, Project Management Institute California Central Coast Chapter (PMI-4C), for inviting me to speak at your June 28 meetingon “Agile Scrum: An Overview (Originally) for The Board of Directors of an Entertainment Company.” The turnout was fantastic, and it was a pleasure and honor to speak with such an engaging audience.

Special thanks to Chris Hare and Colin Giffen — the technical editors on the award-winning book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions — for their involvement and participation.

Thanks to PMI-4C's Michael Peter and Robert Tucker for organizing and managing the event.

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You're invited to connect with Scott M. Graffius on social. Like his page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Scott presents thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. He delivers talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. For information on availability, fees, pro bono work and more, visit SpeakerHub.

Scott M. Graffius will deliver a talk—“Agile Scrum: An Overview (Originally) for The Board of Directors of an Entertainment Company”—at a public meeting of the Project Management Institute California Central Coast Chapter (PMI-4C) on June 28, 2018. For more information, and to register for the event, visit here.*****

You're invited to connect with Scott M. Graffius on social. Like his page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Scott presents thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. He delivers talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. For information on availability, fees, pro bono work and more, visit SpeakerHub.

Scott M. Graffius will deliver a talk—“Agile Scrum: An Overview (Originally) for The Board of Directors of an Entertainment Company”—at a public meeting of the Project Management Institute California Inland Empire (PMICIE) Chapter on August 14, 2018. For more information, and to register for the event, visit here.

*****

You're invited to connect with Scott M. Graffius on social. Like his page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Scott presents thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. He delivers talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. For information on availability, fees, pro bono work and more, visit SpeakerHub.

Scott M. Graffius of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ had consulting engagements with a division of a global entertainment business. A fantastic agile transformation experience and result with that client was the inspiration for Scott's book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions. This is an update on the book.

Agile Scrum won first place in the Business category at the 2018 International Pacific Book Awards. A press release from Scott M. Graffius, the author of the book, is located here. Additionally, the text from the release is presented below.

*****Los Angeles, CA — Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions (Scott M. Graffius, author; Chris Hare and Colin Giffen, technical editors) won first place in the Business category of the 2018 International Pacific Book Awards. The annual program is sponsored by Pacific Book Review—a literary review outlet, and a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the National Education Association. The competition was open to English-language books in print, e-book, and audiobook formats worldwide. The judging panel included professionals with expertise in the categories over which they presided, as well as experts from the fields of editing, reviewing, and publishing. Books were evaluated on innovation, originality, and readability. Results will be announced to booksellers, publishers, public and academic librarians, wholesalers, distributors, and agents through the sponsor's site, Publishers Weekly, and additional outlets.

There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices engage sequential development, while agile models involve iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to best meet their business needs—and successfully manage projects, innovate, and prosper at astounding speed.

Scott released Agile Scrum to provide those interested or involved in innovation, product development, project management, software development or technology management with a roadmap to implement Scrum, the most popular agile framework. It helps technical and non-technical teams deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement—which supports innovation and drives competitive advantage.

Scott M. Graffius, PMP, CSP, CSM, CSPO, ITIL, LSSGB is a project management expert, consultant, international speaker, and author. He founded and is CEO of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions, an Inc. Verified Business, which helps organizations better solve their problems and capitalize on opportunities via world-class project management related services. Results include more consistent realization of business outcomes, faster delivery speed, improved on-budget performance, higher satisfaction, and more. A fantastic agile transformation experience and result with a client in the entertainment industry was the inspiration for Scott's book, Agile Scrum. He is a former vice president of a provider of diverse consumer products and services over the Internet including social networking and internet access. Before that, Scott worked in organizations with businesses ranging from advanced technology products and services to business services, retail, e-commerce, manufacturing, and entertainment. He has experience with consumer, business, reseller, government, and international markets, as well as experience spanning 20 countries.

About the book

Agile Scrum is offered in paperback and ebook formats at Amazon. The paperback is available in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The ebook is for sale in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Specs are detailed at AgileScrumGuide.com.

Review copies of Agile Scrum are available to members of broadcast, print or online media. Visit bit.ly/REVIEW-COPY.

You're invited to connect with Scott M. Graffius on social. Like his page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Scott presents thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. He delivers talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. For information on availability, fees, pro bono work and more, visit SpeakerHub.

Take a look at the results at the end of a sprint on a Scrum project. There are two scenarios. Both have the same user stories with the same story points for each:

User story 1: 13 story points

User story 2: 8 story points

User story 3: 3 story points

User story 4: 5 story points

User story 5: 1 story point

User story 6: 3 story points

User story 7: 1 story point

Scenario A

Here are some details on A:

User story 1: 70 hours of work performed, 5 hours of work remaining

User story 2: 51 hours of work performed, no work remaining (and it meets the Definition of Done [DoD])

User story 3: 45 hours of work performed, 13 hours of work remaining

User story 4: 29 hours of work performed, no work remaining (and it meets the DoD)

User story 5: 3 hours of work performed, 2 hours of work remaining

User story 6: 30 hours of work performed, 17 hours of work remaining

User story 7: 4 hours of work performed, 1 hour of work remaining

A is summarized as:

232 hours of work was performed, and 38 hours of work remains

2 user stories were done, and 5 user stories were not completed

Scenario BHere are some details on B:

User story 1: 75 hours of work performed, no work remaining (and it meets the DoD)

User story 2: 51 hours of work performed, no work remaining (and it meets the DoD)

User story 3: 58 hours of work performed, no work remaining (and it meets the DoD)

User story 4: 29 hours of work performed, no work remaining (and it meets the DoD)

User story 5: 5 hours of work performed, no work remaining (and it meets the DoD)

User story 6: 14 hours of work performed, 33 hours of work remaining

User story 5: no work performed, and five hours of work remaining

B is summarized as:

232 hours of work was performed, and 38 hours of work remains

5 user stories were done, and 2 user stories were not completed

What CountsScrum requires teams to build an increment of functionality during every sprint. Only work meeting the Definition of Done (DoD) is counted as complete, demonstrated at the sprint review meeting, and is potentially shippable.

There were two scenarios. Both had the same user stories with the same story points for each, and the same amount of work hours performed. Yet the outcomes were dramatically different. In A, 2 user stories were done--and are to be demonstrated at the sprint review meeting, and are potentially shippable. In B, 5 user stories were done--and are to be demonstrated at the sprint review meeting, and are potentially shippable. B is the better scenario.

A possible explanation for the differences between the two situations is that the Scrum team in B may have done a better job of limiting Work in Progress.

To learn more about agile/Scrum, check out the award-winning book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions. You're invited to visit the digital press kit, watch the trailer, and pick up a copy of the publication—it’s available in paperback and ebook—at Amazon. *****

You're invited to connect with Scott M. Graffius on social. Like his page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Scott presents thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. He delivers talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. For information on availability, fees, pro bono work and more, visit SpeakerHub.

Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive. Traditional development and delivery frameworks are often ineffective. In contrast, Scrum is a value-driven agile approach which incorporates adjustments based on regular and repeated customer and stakeholder feedback. And Scrum's built-in rapid response to change leads to substantial benefits such as fast time-to-market, higher satisfaction, and continuous improvement—which supports innovation and drives competitive advantage.

Agile and Scrum were once the sole domain of software development. However, the benefits and results have not gone unnoticed by others. Practices are being adopted by additional departments and industries. Examples follow.

The State of Scrum Report(1) revealed that 21% of Scrum projects are run by departments outside of Technology such as Marketing, Finance, and Sales.

An article published in The New York Times(2) noted agile's use in diverse industries—with examples ranging from a museum in Sydney, Australia, to an automobile dealership in Maine.

A business brief(3) illustrated how varied businesses—including John Deere, NPR, and Mission Bell Winery—employed agile.

In summary, agile and Scrum are used broadly. For more information on agile/Scrum, pick up a copy of the award-winning book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions. For more information on the publication, and to connect:

You're invited to connect with Scott M. Graffius on social. Like his page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Scott presents thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. He delivers talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. For information on availability, fees, pro bono work and more, visit SpeakerHub.

Scott M. Graffius of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™ had consulting engagements with a division of a global entertainment business. A fantastic agile transformation experience with that client was the inspiration for his book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions. This is an update on the book.

The new book trailer for Agile Scrum is live at https://vimeo.com/178858753 (and it can be played above). This new version highlights some editorial reviews, and it features fresh music and additional updates. The total run time is 1 minute.

Agile Scrum is available in paperback and ebook formats at Amazon. For more on the book, see the digital press kit at AgileScrumGuide.com.

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You're invited to connect with Scott M. Graffius on social. Like his page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Scott presents thought leadership on project, program, portfolio, and PMO management related topics of timely importance. He delivers talks at private and public events in the United States and internationally. For information on availability, fees, pro bono work and more, visit SpeakerHub.